10 Reasons Why You SHOULDN”T Get a Guinea Pig!!!!

Hey, I’m Scott and welcome to my channel Scotty’s animals I’m in the middle of Adoption Day as a guinea pig rescue, but I really wanted to do a quick video the ten reasons why you shouldn’t get a guinea pig okay, may seem crazy to do a video about why you shouldn’t adopt a guinea pig But here’s ten reasons why you shouldn’t get a guinea pig okay number one No space guinea pigs need eight square feet of space preferably up on a table and in some kind of a Room in your house that gets a lot of traffic So that they’re part of the family if you can’t give them eight square feet of adequate space Then you really shouldn’t get a guinea pig. Okay. Let’s move on number two no time guinea pigs need a li attention Okay, they need to be fed twice a day you need to really check on them check in on them And if you can’t pick them up and give them daily attention Weekly cage cleaning and floor time, then really guinea pigs probably aren’t right for you at this time number three reason why you shouldn’t get a guinea pig is Interest if you don’t have interest to spend time with them to interact with them daily, okay? If you’re not interested in them and you don’t spend time feeding them and giving them treats interacting with them socially They’re very smart social animals, so if you don’t put the time to spend time with them and tame them then you Will have guinea pigs that are are frightened and not social okay? So you get out of it what you put in the fourth reason? Why you shouldn’t get a guinea pig is you don’t want to spend money okay beyond the adoption fees we’re talking food habitat care Vet bills monthly you should be thinking about forty to a hundred dollars on their food their treats fresh veggies I’ve got so much guinea pig hair on my faith Food treats veggies bedding for weekly page cleaning in addition to that sometimes vet bills Checkups you should do a yearly checkup emergency emergency vet bills can can really skyrocket and then of course Medicine if they need any medicine so in general if you don’t want to spend any money on your pets Then you probably shouldn’t have pets okay. Just because They cost money Okay number five the fifth reason why you shouldn’t get a guinea pig is You don’t have responsibility okay people come in all the time, and they say we’re gonna get this guinea pig for our Child and it’s going to teach them responsibility if you don’t have Responsibility to begin with then you shouldn’t be adopting an animal you need to be responsible you need to have a plan you need to be part of a community where you can learn and Know what the proper care is okay guinea pigs are not starter pets, okay? There’s no such thing as a starter pet you already must be responsible when you are taking care Of an animal when that animal depends on you okay, so any animal whether it’s a hamster or a Tarantula or a gecko it doesn’t matter or a dog or a cat You must be responsible first Okay Okay, let’s go on let’s move on. Okay. This is the sixth reason why you shouldn’t get a guinea pig allergies if you are allergic to Fur dander hay or dust I personally am allergic to timothy hay and I take precautions after feeding timothy hay to my guinea pigs I Wash my hands, I rinse off my face, and I make sure that I don’t have any of that on me but still you know guinea pigs are covered in fur and covered in hay and When you play with them? and when you kiss them and everything and you get their fur in your face if Whatever your allergen is is going to be right there, so think about it. Are you allergic to fur dander? hay dust There’s so many things about keeping guinea pigs that triggers allergies and at the rescue when people surrender their animals from after adopting from us the number one reason is because they’re allergic they didn’t realize that they were allergic to hay or Guinea pigs or the dust or the dander and whatever it may be so take that into consideration Okay number seven the seventh reason why you shouldn’t get a guinea pig is Conflicting pets you already have Some pets that may be aggressive or overly curious pets with issues that prevent you from fully paying attention to and caring for your guinea pigs are Going to be in conflict with having guinea pigs so if you have the type of dog that chases Rodents like terriers or things like that doesn’t automatically rule it out. You can keep your animals in a separate room but to make sure that if you have animals that are aggressive towards guinea pigs that they are nowhere near and never get a chance to act on that aggression Just because you have a pet that may be conflicting with the guinea pig doesn’t necessarily rule out the fact that you Should have a guinea pig, but take it into consideration? And if it’s you’re not willing to make the sacrifice to keep these animals separate then maybe guinea pigs aren’t right for you Number eight the eighth reason why you shouldn’t get a guinea pig is you want to breed you want to make babies you know? breeding is very risky for all those involved, okay, and Also We’re an animal rescue. We’re taking in guinea pigs all the time when you breed. You’re setting us back You’re setting back the guinea pigs that Could go to good homes that we have here. Okay, so don’t breed your animals if you want to adopt guinea pigs they need to be in same-sex pairs or You need to have a neutered or spayed Animal and even if you do that you need to make sure that they are living together in harmony Okay, so no breeding and harmonious pairs Let’s do the ninth reason why you shouldn’t get a guinea pig The ninth reason is you don’t want to learn Okay, you think you know everything and you’re not committed to learning and providing the best home for them you can guinea pigs There’s a lot of nuances about their care if you’re not willing to learn about what fleas they can and can’t have if you’re not willing to You know Really commit to all the previous things Right if you don’t want to spend the time if you don’t have the interest if you’re not willing to learn about all it takes to provide them with a Good home, then you’re not ready for a guinea pigs, okay? And number 10 if you can’t handle the emotions, okay guinea pigs are Wonderful fun amazing pets they’re smart. They’re curious. They’re social they’re very loving and lovable They’re hilarious. They’re great pets but they also Get sick and They die it’s just like a dog or a cat or any other pet if you can’t handle the emotional ups and downs If you can’t handle The heartache of when they’re sick, and you’re not willing to Step up and be there for them and to take care of them, then guinea pigs aren’t right for you they There are ephemeral creatures just like we all are and Just like any relationship if you can’t Handle the emotions if you don’t have the love to give if you don’t have the patience and the time then You’re not ready, okay? That’s been the ten reasons why you shouldn’t get a guinea pig now Don’t forget to like this video and subscribe to Scotty’s animals and also subscribe to the los angeles guinea pig rescue channel Every little thing that you do to Comment and share our story goes a real long way to helping us out in many ways So we appreciate all Of the interaction and the comments and the likes and the shares, thank you. Thank you so much You

100 thoughts on “10 Reasons Why You SHOULDN”T Get a Guinea Pig!!!!”

Thank you so much for doing this video. Some of reason number 10 just hits right home for me – I lost my guinea pigs a few years ago to illness/old age and I keep thinking about maybe getting pigs again at some point, but I remember how their deaths just SHATTERED me and I just don’t feel up to this again, not yet. I loved them so much and I was there for them 100% and we were best buddies – I’m just not sure I could do it again, I’m not sure I could handle the loss again. Thanks again for this video. I love the work you do at the LA Guinea Pig rescue and I’m so glad there’s folks like you who love guinea pigs and who take care of them and treat them like the wonderful little fellows they are!

okay video, very good points. I feel like you could have picked a better place and time to film this though as you look extremely distracted, and the background noise and people are uber distracting. i had to watch twice over because the background and noise is so ridiculously obstructive. your content in this video is great,. but it was done horribly. Looking forward to seeing your future videos.

What an excellent video. You've hit on so many important points. I particularly appreciated your comment on keeping aggressive animals away from guinea pigs. Thank you so much for giving of your time to volunteer. I have so much admiration for all of you who work in rescue.

Too bad this video cant be shown before people adopt or "shop" for guinea pigs. More people need to think before adopting ANY animal anymore. I have neighbors that leave their dogs out for HOURS, no matter the weather….they are constantly barking, whining, and chasing people. I could go on, but people just dont think about the long term anymore. It is a "instant gratification" era anymore and the animals are suffering. 🙁

THANK YOU for this video. I will certainly direct anyone that tells me they want a cavy to this video. These are the same things I tell people about guinea pig ownership. This is what I tell parents; if your child is responsible enough to maintain their own environment, then maybe they are ready to have a pet. Children learn responsibility in two ways, by modeling the behavior they are exposed to, and by being given task to perform, i.e., chores, for which they are rewarded with certain privileges, such as pet. Pets are living feeling animals, NOT TOYS.

I learned I have several allergies to my guinea pigs. I get sneezy and cough with shortness if breath. I also get hives when I hold them. I make sure to wear a mask and a sweatshirt while spending time with them. I love them so whatever.

Totally agree with you, my piggies are a hand full and I love to take care of them, but most of the people think it's easy because of their size. I suscribed and will share this video with potencial guinea pig owners, great video!

New sub here awesome video man many people don't get the concept of this video so I'll help you explain. So this man made the video to tell you reasons to not get guinea pigs in other words he's is telling the downsides of guinea pigs the TRUTH about them. Some people don't realize how much work and care goes into them he is helping stop impluse buying in guinea pigs and other pets. He is saying that if you can't sacrifice a huge fraction of your life and don't have time don't get pigs which I definitely agree with. Some people might not know the downsides of owning guinea pigs and he wants to share some of them. Im a proud piggie mom and I can truthfully say they dont make the best of pets .So please stop bashing him for this awesome post keep doing what you're doing man awesome message.

There's 2 piggies at my county animal control I keep talking myself out of adopting. I really needed this video right now. They'd be better off with a family than just me checking in on them twice daily, no matter how big a cage or expensive the food. We don't have a small animal rescue here but maybe I'll go after work & see about volunteering like you do. Gotta help these guys!

I cant agree more with all your reasons. I know alot about guinea pigs but i love learning more. You and skinnypigs1 really have taught me more stuff that i didnt know. I want the best life for my five soon to be six guinea pigs. I am rescuing a male tomorrow who is in pretty poor health but its worth it to me to try and save as many pigs as i can. If i ever hit the lottery i will start my own rescue here in Pennsylvania trust me lol.

I have a question on the subject of bathing and using shampoo and conditioner. In this video you mention it is alright to use products made for humans while others say absolutely not. How do I know what to believe? Is there any evidence to believe one way or another?

Absolutely loved this video!!! I think another reason not to have a GP is unrealistic expectations. I think some new owners go into it thinking all Guinea Pigs have the same personality and that they all will be cuddly and affectionate. I have a couple who are sweet and affectionate and a couple who likes a good head scratch now and then, but prefer to not be handled as much or cuddle. I'd say if you wouldn't be okay with having any personality a Guinea Pig may have, they probably aren't for you.

Thank you I just got my first baby boar last week and my second today after some research I learned without company they can get very depressed and I soon as I got the second my first baby boars attitude instant changed looked 100% happier I want them to bond better any tips ????? there both pretty calm and there both in a 4×2 any other tips for me as a first time owner btw I passed with this video thank you very much your videos helped me so much to see what I was getting into and now Me and my gf are super happy with our new little boars

Great video. My brother is offering me his guinea pig and whole set up…. But I need to be sure because I've already got two chickens … Three kids (human – ha!) … I just need to be sure because it's a commitment. Thank you for this.

Great video, I totally agree that children shouldn't be expected to care for animals without adult supervision, it's up to the adults to take on the animal care and teach our kids how rewarding it is. If you think your kid is ready to get a pet, give them a plant to care for and see if they remember to water, feed and research ideal growing conditions!

Pure honesty Scotty.I learnt the hard way. I got a gorgeous male n a female. Fell in love n began to learn everything piggy. I had a health issue too, which I thought I was in control of. I was wrong. I had to give away my wonderful fluffy buddies cos it was too taxing due to ulcerative colitis. They are at a vetinary run rescue centre for Gpigs. I'll always regret my mistake. I still cry for them. I still love them.It hurts that I had to give them up, and for the fact that I don't know if I could volunteer at any rescue cos of my disease. The info you give is not only helpful for people, but you never talk down about people. You try your best to get your point across about these amazing, intelligent animals. Thankyou for being you X

I agree with you Scotty 100%!!! But your pet rewards you with all the love they can give you, if you take care of them like you should. I have had parakeets, hamsters bunny and piggies and I don't regret having each and everyone of them. They became a part of my family. I loved them all!!

Love this video!!! You are soooo right! This should be like an obligatory training video for people to watch in every single pet shop or rescue centre before they are allowed to take a piggy home. And the same goes to other pets.

I have one guinea pig and I want to get another male for him but I'm really worried about them not pairing, I spend a lot of time with him and he seems happy and social and he popcorns a lot but I feel like I should definitely get another but I'm really concerned about what will happen

Very good points I think they are all really importantI think with the allergies point it depends on how bad the allergies are and if they can have some medication to help with the allergies…this depends on the individual

I think the last point is a difficult one as anyone who is not worried/sad when their Animal is sick or has died then they did not really care about the Animal in the first place…I think what you ment was mentally able to so for example every day care is not a chore or they don't worry about them constantly which affects the person's every day life… worrying is fine especially when an Animal is ill or is if your on holiday and someone else is looking after them as long as the human is still enjoying their holiday

They are adorable little creatures but they are constantly eating, drinking lots of water and they poop like crazy. Two piggies will empty a 16 oz water bottle in one and a half days. They consume a vast amount of Timothy hay in a single day. Guinea pig urine has a very strong ammonia like smell. If you are asthmatic or suffer with allergies, you may want to avoid bathing your piggy. I had a very bad asthma attack giving mine a bath.

This is a very unique, and very needed video for the guinea pig community, in my opinion. Someone needs to tell people how to cross themselves off of the potential guinea pig owner Collective. Like me. LOL I have Parkinson's, so I just can't commit the time or the energy or the funds for it, but because of folks like you, I still can vicariously enjoy the experience of owning guinea pigs, and I have a couple of rescue shops near me and friends who own some too. So, thanks! Keep on doing what you doing.

Guinea pigs need to have their cage or enclosure cleaned out a lot more than just once a week because they make a lot of mess (they are always urinating and pooing, for example). I need to clean out my guinea pig's enclosure almost every day.

I love this video too! IIt is ideal to teach a family member or friend about their care just in case something happens to you unexpectedly. If you don't have a backup person, you may want to delay getting piggies until you do.

I really want a guinea pig and have for a while but am so anxious about it because I always see these videos. I know I'm responsible and have the money and am willing to put in the time but still an v anxious

Ugh, number 5 gets me every time. I don’t get why some parents think it’s okay to get pets for their kids when they’re not willing to take on the responsibility themselves. Like, if you’re not willing to do it, why would you think your kid would be?

Side note: Bed rest sucks, but binge watching your channel is really making the time fly ?

i adopted my fur son from my 10 year old cousin. why my aunt thought it was a good idea to give a child a guinea pig who sat in his own filth and wanst given veggies, i dont know. i love my son and i hope to get him a cagemate for when im out and about. i have the same cage in the background, and im hoping its a good home for him.since im in my room most of the time, i leave his door open so he can pop on out and run around. i just hope he understands me ;-;

I know this is an older video, but I was wondering if anyone had any advice for me. I recently became the proud parent of 2 beautiful piggies, they're 3 year old girls. Their former living situation was depressing to say the least. They were in a RIDICULOUSLY small cage, no hide or toys, no veggies and all in all, just a horribly sad environment. I upgraded to 7sq ft for now (I'm waiting on the CC cage to come in so I can set up a 10ft enclosure) and I've provided them with beds, hides and toys. They're finally starting to eat veggies, but they're absolutely terrified of people. I guess their previous owners had small kids, and they'd chase the pigs around the cage and weren't very gentle and they'd go long periods of time without any interaction with people. I almost feel like they're traumatized, so I don't want to make it worse. I have their cage in my loft, so I try to just hang out and talk to them, but they don't seem to be making much progress. If anyone has any tips, it'd be greatly appreciated.PS Hope everyone has a very happy & healthy 2019.

Hi Scott, I absolutely love your videos! I used to have a herd of guinea pigs when I was younger and now i'm building an indoor pen for a group of 3 rescue girls moving in to my flat here in England in a few weeks. I'm also building an outdoor run for them for on the grass when the sun shines! I've got some great tips from your videos. Do you have any tips on games you can play during floor time to keep the piggies entertained? Much loveB x

Great video. I loved you point about getting Guinea Pigs to teach your kids responsibility being a bad thing…the parent(s) should be more than willing and able to take care of these beautiful animals if they do want to teach responsibility. I feel a lot of people don't understand that. Very valid point man

This video brings up important points . Many people buy these little ones thinking they can just be left alone in their cages until they have a minute or two to pet and feed them. Most people who are not happy and bonded with their piggies keep them alone, do not interact, do not provide toys. You get what you give, as with all pets. We decided to get a piggie for our daughter when she was 8. She was too young to care for her pet on her own. We had researed their care together. I knew that I would be doing most of the work at first. Rachel's got a huge amount of joy and help with her anxiety and depression. We all have loved each of our babies.

Well said and explained. Would like you to bring it up again on YouTube. The shelters keep swelling of abandoned Guinea pigs. Still some people see pets as a hobby or a diversion without looking at the responsibility of caring for these pets. The other issues I have experienced is the vets say they are experienced or specialists and finding they are not. The truth it is just about business making money.

Why would anyone get or adopt an animal he or she isn't interested in watching, taming, playing with, learning their body language, behaviour etc etc.. I mean ever, at all. Especially if it's a living being…..Why would anyone do that?

The only thing is a rats short life span ….which doesn't apply to piggies, because if i remember correctly they live an average 6 to 8 years…..? But that's definitely why I stopped keeping rats. 18 – 22 month max, then they are all tame and the pack is balanced and then the "tumor – season" starts…and usually the outcome is bad, even when spending 300 – 700 bucks per individual om Op's emergency vet visits etc. ??

Hi i Just found your channel and im lookin at It cause my sister bougth one Guinea pig, tomorrow we gonna get 2 more bcs the place that theyre is bad (in fact they have like a lot of lice but we have already a veterinarian help) we really love animals and we have 1 cat and 1 dog already but theyre Very friendly with the gp i would like to thank u for your videos theyre helping me a lot, you know my sister is the owner but shes soo irresponsable i will stole then for me ?? by the way congrats for doing this work and sorry for my poor english.

I love rodents (guinea pigs and rats in particular). I currently have rats again because I find they are a slightly lower commitment (lifespan). The cost is slightly cheaper too, I think, for maintenance. I hated having hay (which is unnecessary for rats) because of irritation and mess. Rats are messy in their own ways, but are smaller, and thus I find it can be kept up with. I don’t miss boar glue. I miss their noises and faces, though. Cuddling a larger animal had its benefits too.

I have two single guinea pigs. Please, hear me out. My bubby is very old. He's currently in a smaller cage in my room due to my Grammy not taking adequate care of him.. He can no longer use the bathroom on his own. She's not willing to help him anymore so I am. I'm severely allergic but I love him so dearly. Is it okay to have him by himself, seeing as he is a senior who can't care for himself?

I just rescued a guinea pig, it was in a small cramped cage in a very messy house, very little interaction with humans, and they were feeding him mixed veggies from a can. he was so scared of them that he would freak out if they came near his cage. it took me about 5 minutes but he came to me and let me pick him up. They said "wow he never lets us near him", so I talked them into giving him to me. I've had him for four days now and he already seems so happy. All your videos and those from the LA rescue have helped tremendously learn the things I need to know to keep him healthy and happy. Few things I have noticed, about him that I really had no idea about with guinea pigs is he eats A LOT! lol. I am going to be changing up his diet a bit now that I have watched your videos, I was giving him I think a little too much fresh veggies. He seems to love celery the most so far, but he also digs, carrots, apples, grapes, and green peppers. I also how found that he poops…a lot. as well as the fresh veggies, I also give him a small bowl of pellets and a good helping of Timothy hay. I think it may be because I am feeding him so much, but I could be wrong I don't really know how much he SHOULD be pooping. His stool does look normal according to the rescues poop video though, just, a lot. I currently have him in a plastic bottom cage that is about 6 square feet, but I will be building him a C&C cage this weekend, I have an old table that is about 10 sq. ft. that will be perfect to build a cage on top of. Also, he has been alone pretty much his whole life (which I don't even know how old he is, he looks full grown, he's about a foot long an about 2lbs). He was given to the people I rescued him from by another person, who bought him from a store but no one seems to know how long ago that was. Next week I guess I will be buying another boy guinea pig for him to have companionship. I've watched a few videos on introducing them, but being as he has never really been around other pigs since before he was first bought, I am very worried about how he will act. I do also have two questions I hope you or anyone reading this can help with. First, in another video you showed giving your pigs a dropper full (50ml) of Vitamin C, but what about if he is eating plenty of foods that naturally contain Vitamin C is that necessary? Also, I was told by the people that I rescued him from that he has never drank from a water bottle. Is this something he will get used to and eventually he will start using it? or should I keep putting a bowl of water in the cage with him? Thanks again for all your videos, they've been a great help.

I will get a guinea pig this week I am just scare when I go back to school they won’t have a lot of attention because I have outside activities I come pretty late plus homework ? I might do the homework with him

5 is an iffy one for me but I’m only saying for my case , honestly my guinea pigs have taught me responsibility because I love them and care for them because I love them. I know I have to put them first because they rely on me. They have put me in a tight routine 🙂 I’ve done so much research on them and now I’m piggie CRAZY! I still agree with the don’t get them for small children and the “starter pet” thing I hate that!